Warning: torture

Lucy's body shivered at the look the man across from her had in his eyes. They glinted sadistically, and it made her stomach churn at the sight. He chuckled slightly, then full out laughed maniacally, all while maintaining eye contact. Though Lucy was determined to not react to anything he said or did, it was hard to push down the feeling of unease that was taking over.

Maybe if she could just buy some time, she could figure a way out of here. She was so distracted by her captor, she had yet to look around and study the room. The sights didn't help the nausea in her stomach lessen.

The room was bare, walls and ceiling black with nothing hanging on the walls. To the right of the man was a table, with various different items on it. Knives, swords, whips, planks, all kinds of things that looked like they were used for torture. She was even certain a spiked bat had remnants of dried blood still on it. She involuntarily shuddered.

Kraff caught her gaze, eyes darting to the table and back on her. "Scared, are we?"

Lucy ignored him, instead asking, "Why are you doing this?!"

"Because it's fun," Kraff said, a bit too cheerfully.

"I don't mean torture. I mean why are you after the staff? What do you plan to do with it?"

His eyebrows raised slightly as his smile faded. "So you do know a little of our plan? What else do you know?"

He took a step towards her, smile plastered on his face once more. He came close enough that his face was inches from hers. It made her realize how tall he was. Lucy did her best to push down any signs of fear she felt.

"Like hell I'd answer that," Lucy said, taking her chance and spitting in the man's face.

It landed right below his eye, but it didn't have the effect she had hoped it would. Rather than get upset, Kraff swiped the spit onto his finger, proceeding to stick it in his mouth and lick her saliva off it. Lucy couldn't help but let her eyes widen. There was no denying that had freaked her out.

"Care to do that again?" He asked in a dark tone.

Lucy merely swallowed. His question was met with silence. Satisfied by her lack of response, he turned around and walked towards the table, fingers tracing over the items laid out on it.

"You don't have a kink for whips, do you?" He asked, whip in hand as he cracked it against the air.

It had three tail ends, all made of thick leather. Out of all the options, she had to admit this may be one of the better ones. Kraff looked her up and down, patting the whip in his empty hand while he debated where to strike first.

His eyes locked on her exposed stomach, and his hand flung back. With all his strength, he threw his hand forward, the whip connecting with her side, wrapping around to slap all the way back to her stomach.

Instantly, Lucy clamped her eyes shut at the impact. The pain was unbelievable, and it didn't help that it made her sway once more, digging into her already inflamed wrists. Whatever whip that was, it wasn't normal. She wondered if it was laced with something, or if she was the one laced with something.

As if reading her thoughts, the man said, "Not your typical whip, is it? Another of my magic abilities is the power to enhance any object, making its strikes harder and more effective. I bet you thought you were starting off easy, didn't you?"

Lucy glared at him, but mentally noted not to underestimate his cruelty again. Her stomach still stung and she could feel her heartbeat throbbing where she was hit. She decided that she didn't care if Fairy Tail had to bail her out again. She just hoped it would be soon.

"And to think…" Kraff said as he stared at the red marks and swelling that was already marking her body, "That was only one hit."

He continued with another thrash, this time around her legs. Before she had time to bite back a scream, she was met with another lash across her arms. One more whip that curled around her chest finally earned a yelp from her. Each new strike she came closer and closer to screaming, until around lash fifteen when she finally couldn't hold back her yell.

The man stopped, the corners of his lips tugging upwards to showcase his twisted smile. "That wasn't so hard, was it?"

Lucy had tears in her eyes, the pain overwhelming her senses. She wasn't even sure she heard what the man had said. She tried focusing on the pain in her wrists to distract her from the pain she felt everywhere else, but it was no use. Her body was covered in welts, bruises, and even blood from how deep some of the lashes cut.

Kraff tossed the whip to the side, and Lucy hoped he was satisfied and stopped, but her hope was cut short when he stalked back over to the table. He grabbed a new weapon, this time a small dagger that was serrated on one end of the blade. Her breathing grew even more ragged when he turned back towards her. He stood a few inches from her once more.

"You aren't going to spit on me again, are you?" He asked.

Lucy didn't respond, but she knew better than to pull anything now. If they only needed her keys, then she was sure he would kill her if she did anything that wasn't to his liking. He laughed with a that's what I thought look written on his face.

"Now, where to…"

His voice trailed off as he glided the knife smoothly over her skin, so as to not cut her. Yet. The touch of the blade felt hot, and she wondered if it had been enhanced with magic power the same way the whip had. She hoped not.

"Such a pretty face," Kraff said, the same perverted look in his eyes from earlier.

He placed the flat end of the blade to her face, Lucy holding her breath as he carefully twisted it, breaking skin and blood falling from the wound. Her hope was short lived at the sensation of immense heat along with the tearing of her flesh. She was certain he had only made a small cut across her cheek, yet it felt as though he had separated the skin to the point where the bottom piece was falling off.

Despite the pain, she maintained composure, thankful to no longer be swaying on the chains. Kraff looked unamused at the lack of response. He moved the blade to her stomach, piercing the skin once more as her abdomen felt like it was on fire. He pushed it in further, and Lucy let out a small whimper at the pain she felt. Her face was coated in sweat, beads falling off her face every few seconds.

Kraff looked like he was going to push the blade to the hilt, and Lucy reacted purely out of instinct. She extended her leg sharply, digging into the man's stomach and sending him back a few steps. The knife was painfully extracted in the process. Despite how it had hurt to remove the blade, she was relieved to have made the pain stop, until he looked back up at her, face fuming with anger. He held the dagger tightly as he stood up, moving towards her again.

"Why you—"

"I thought it was clear you were not to leave any lasting marks on her."

Another man stood in the doorway. Lucy couldn't help but notice how tired she was beginning to feel, looking down to see blood dripping from her wound. She looked back up, studying the person who had entered and, luckily, stopped Kraff from continuing his torture.

This man had very tan skin with hair that was a pale shade of purple, and his grin revealed a flashy white smile. He was clothed in baggy white pants, matched with a white shirt and covered with a beige vest. His smile dropped as he looked at Kraff.

"Their guild could be here at any moment. We must be prepared, not wasting time on senseless torture."

"It's not like I was gonna kill her," Kraff responded.

"You went against direct orders. Your actions will be met with punishment. Now leave our presence."

Kraff turned to Lucy once more, rolling his eyes but following the man's orders. He mumbled a 'yes sir' before tossing the bloodied dagger back onto the table. Lucy's eyes followed him, watching as he left without another word. Her attention shifted to the man who was with her now.

"I do apologize for my colleague's actions. As I said, we don't have much time before your friends inevitably arrive, so I must make this quick."

Lucy's vision was beginning to blur as her blinks started to last an extra second. She realized the man was now standing in front of her, and she wondered when he got there. She stared into his eyes, realizing they were a deep brown. They felt comforting for some reason.

"My name is Xeno. I bet you're wondering why we want to use the staff, and I will tell you. But if I have the slightest feeling that you aren't paying attention I will stop. Are you prepared to listen?"

Lucy forced her body to feel alert, keeping her eyes locked on Xeno's. She nodded, hoping she'd remember every word he spoke in the event that she was saved from this place.

"Good," Xeno continued. "The staff requires the use of your celestial keys in order to be activated when it is combined with the Omnicore orb. I assume you know it's capabilities once put together?"

Lucy nodded, realizing the pain she had felt was beginning to vanish, while her consciousness sharpened. She didn't know if it was a good thing or bad thing. At least this way, she felt sure she'd remember his words.

"A few centuries ago, there was a vial that possessed the qualities to grant immortality. With immortality, the vial also supplies immense power, believed to be the strongest of all time. The man who consumed it grew mad with power, eventually being turned on by his very own subordinates. His subordinates created a vial of their own. An antidote to his supposed curse. They put it in his drink the next morning, and he died the second the liquid met his mouth."

His gaze was intense, and Lucy realized their eyes had stayed locked the entire time he spoke. She felt as though it was the only reason she could stay awake, so she didn't dare look away.

"The vial only contains enough contents for one man. While the rest of my colleagues suspect that, we all strive for the goal to obtain the vial. But they don't know the extent of my magic. They don't know that the vial will be mine."

"What makes you so sure you won't go mad with power?" Lucy asked, surprised at the lack of slur in her words.

The man opened his mouth to respond before he was promptly cut off by the sounds of intruders landing on the aircraft. Their gaze was broken when Xeno turned to the sounds of conflict just above them. Lucy felt the weight of her wounds again, body throbbing and black spots filling her vision. She tried fighting it, but it was no use. As she blacked out, the name of one person filled her mind.

Natsu

X

Don't know how I feel about this chapter. Thoughts?